Performance

I tested the Vortex 2 hard disk drive cooler by using a Seagate 7200.7 ATA 80GB drive. I noted the temperatures while the disk was idle and under full load 3 times in total. First, when the fan was completely off, second when the fan was running at the lowest possible speed and finally when the fan was running at top speed. Full load was achieved by copying 50GB of data, consisting mainly of small files, to the disk and represents the temperature of the disk at the end of the file transfer. The ambient temperature around the Vortex 2 cooler is kept at 22 degrees Celsius.

dont have flash installed? then click here for a jpeg

While the Seagate 7200.7 is not a running hot hard disk drive, the Vortex 2 appears to be doing a marvelous job concerning cooling it. It managed to drop the temperature under full load 7 degrees lower than having the disk work without cooling. I would prefer setting the fan speed at low speed though, since it still works very well without the extra noise, as at full speed the Vortex 2 tends to get rather loud.

Final words and conclusion

The Vortex 2 from Vantec is a nice product overall. It certainly gets the job done and the installation is easy. The cross blow fan is also going to last longer than any axial fan, while it provides a lot more airflow. The little details, such as the dust filter, the anti-vibration pads and the careful aesthetic details add to the pros of the Vortex 2. The Vortex 2 has two flaws however; first it will require a 5.25” bay of your case for a single 3.5” disk, and second it can become frustratingly loud at full speed. It also never is completely inaudible, although at low speed it is barely noticeable. The extra 5.25” bay will not be much of a problem nowadays, since most modern tower cases have 4 or more 5.25” bays available, except of course if you want to have many hard disk drives cooled by Vortex 2 coolers. So let us sum up:

Pros:
Good cooling properties
Anti-Vibration pads
Mesh air filter
Aesthetically simple and appealing
Cross blower fan
Easy installation/assembly

Cons:
It can be noisy at high speeds
You will need a 5.25” bay for each individual 3.5” disk you want to pair with a Vortex 2.

Contacts: Reviewer: Grace
Editor/ Designer: Allan "Zardon" Campbell

Our thanks to Alan Chang (Vantec USA)